12% percent of Filipinos live and work overseas.

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A surprising number of Filipinos suffer from the ‘grass is always greener on the other side’ syndrome. After being occupied by the west for over 400 years (first the Spanish, then the Americans), the people of the Philippines have developed a strong colonial mentality. A common belief among Filipinos is that if it’s Western, it’s better.

According to one survey conducted by Pulse Asia in 2006, three in ten Filipinos (about 30 percent) want to the leave the country while another 32 percent would consider migrating.

Filipinos primarily migrate due to the push and pull factors: dissatisfaction with the Philippines and the attractiveness of overseas opportunities. Dissatisfaction with the state of the country is nothing new. Most of the dissatisfaction stems from the prominent poverty and the corruption in the Philippine government. Twice was there a people power revolution that overthrew corrupt officials, President Marcos in 1986 and President Estrada in 2001. Corruption in the government is considered the main hindrance of progress in the Philippines.

Although the performance of the economy has recently been improving, it still faces several long-term challenges. In a 2009 survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations, 47 percent of Filipino families considered themselves to be poor while 27 percent considered themselves to be ‘borderline’.